


Secret Truth

by FanNotTheOne



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ambiguous/Open Ending, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27698327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanNotTheOne/pseuds/FanNotTheOne
Summary: Yunho is woken in the middle of the night by a phone call, the same call he gets on this day every year. Maybe this year he'll find out who's calling.
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Kim Hongjoong
Comments: 7
Kudos: 26





	Secret Truth

Yunho wakes to his boyfriend smushing him, leaning across Yunho's body to grab something from the bedside table.

"What's going on?" he asks groggily before the buzzing sound coming from his side of the bed finally registers.

"Phone call," Hongjoong mumbles back, equally groggy.

"Fuck, it's the middle of the night. Who the fuck would be-" Yunho stops, suddenly completely awake as he tries to remember what day it is. "Is it… the sixth?"

"What? Yeah, the sixth," Hongjoong says, abandoning his struggle to reach Yunho's phone. "May sixth. Why?"

Yunho picks up the phone, checking the screen to see who's calling. On any other day he'd be frantic, hoping there hasn't been some kind of accident, but it's May sixth. He knows exactly what number he's going to see.

"Yunho?" Hongjoong says, touching Yunho's cheek with his delicate little fingers. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Unsure how to answer, Yunho shakes his head. The truth is, nothing is really wrong. Strange but not wrong. It's just that this happens every year. Every May sixth for the last four years his phone has rung in the middle of the night. Every year he wakes up in a panic, worried about his friends and his family, and every year he misses the call, accidentally sending it to voicemail as he fumbles to answer or just failing to swipe the screen in time.

He's tried calling back, but the line just rings and rings. No answer, no voicemail. Maybe the call isn't for Yunho, or maybe it's just not important enough to leave a message. Maybe it’s some kind of elaborate prank. He's not really sure, but it happens every year, and this year makes the fifth call from the same number in as many years.

"Sweetie?" Hongjoong repeats himself. "Yunho, talk to me. You're scaring me."

"It's nothing," Yunho insists, shaking his head again.

"It's not nothing. You seem upset."

"No, I'm okay. It's just a weird thing. I get this same phone call every year."

Hongjoong glances at the phone in Yunho's hands. It's quiet now, the screen dark. In fact, the only light in the room is from the night light in the hallway that helps Yunho find his way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

"Who is it? An ex?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I… I don't actually know who it is." Yunho explains how he’s never managed to answer the call, never spoken to the person calling. "I guess it's just, like, a tradition now. May sixth, I'll miss the call."

"Give me your phone." Hongjoong holds his hand out expectantly.

"Why? Hong, I told you, no one answers when I call back."

"That's why you're not going to call them back," Hongjoong announces confidently. "I am."

Hongjoong quickly types the number into his own phone and presses the call button before pushing the device into Yunho's hands.

"Why me?" Yunho whines.

"Because they're calling you," Hongjoong whispers back. "Now be quiet and wait for them to answer."

As usual, the phone rings and rings. Yunho missed the first few while arguing with Hongjoong, but now he's counting them.  _ Five… seven… ten… _

"Hong, no one is gonna-"

_ "Hello?" _

Yunho shuts his mouth immediately, too stunned that someone actually picked up to respond.

_ "Hello? Who is this?" _

The voice is male… soft, quiet, low, with a bit of a lisp. Yunho still doesn't respond.

_ "Helloooooooo?" _

Hongjoong rolls his eyes and snatches the phone back from Yunho.

"Yeah, hi. You called us?"

_ "No, you called me." _

"No, before. You called and we didn't answer." Hongjoong rattles off Yunho's number to the man on the other end of the line to jog his memory. "Can we help you somehow?"

_ "Yun- Yunho?" _

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow at Yunho and whispers, "I thought you said he wasn't an ex."

"He's not! I've never heard that voice in my life," Yunho defends himself.

_ "No, no,"  _ the man says.  _ "There's been a misunderstanding. I don't know Yunho and he doesn't know me. I only know his voicemail. I've heard his outgoing message five years in a row,"  _ he admits.

"Why?" Yunho asks, reaching over to touch the speaker button on the screen.

There's a heavy sigh.  _ "It's a very long, complicated story." _

"Hey," Hongjoong says, "it's the middle of the night, and we're all wide awake. We don't have anywhere else to be. Tell us."

The man sighs again, and Yunho can hear mattress springs creaking as he settles in to tell his tale.

_ "My name is Yeosang, and six years ago I lost the love of my life." _

The story is truly tragic. Yeosang's boyfriend had been on vacation with his family, a cruise, and when the ship docked at one of their stops he left the ship and never returned.

_ “There’s security footage of him leaving the ship, and his room card was scanned out but never back in. No one even reported him missing right away. His parents didn’t notice he was gone because they were spending the evening alone in their cabin together, and his sister had met someone, another passenger I think, and they were supposed to have drinks together that night. By the time the ship arrived at the next port he’d been gone for over a day.” _

Passengers are allowed to leave the cruise at any time, and they’re responsible for being back on board before the ship sets sail again. Authorities in multiple jurisdictions had told the family that he had likely just run away. The case had been closed without anyone ever investigating the possibility of foul play.

_ “No one is even looking for him anymore. No one except his family. And me, but I’ve pretty much given up hope at this point, too. He would have called me if he could. I don’t know what happened to him, but honestly, at this point, that’s probably a blessing. If something horrible happened, I’d rather not know the details, and if he chose to leave, I don’t want to know the reason. Either way it would just hurt too much.” _

“Then why have you been calling me?” Yunho asks.

_ “It used to be his number. When he first went missing I called his phone every night to hear his voice. Then the service was cancelled about six months after he… and the number must have been reissued to you. I didn’t call again until the anniversary, and then every year after. I just couldn’t help myself. I always call at a time you won’t be able to answer. I listen to your message, and I imagine it’s him, still out there somewhere.” _

“Hey, Yeosang,” Yunho begins, watching Hongjoong’s face for approval as he makes his offer. “You don’t have to call in the middle of the night.” Hongjoong nods enthusiastically. “We can talk whenever you want.”

“Yeah, we can’t replace what you’ve lost, but we can fill some of that empty space,” Hongjoong agrees. “We’re both here for you.”

_ “Maybe,” _ Yeosang says after a long pause.  _ “It’s late. We should all get some rest. Thanks for listening.” _

“Anytime,” Yunho assures him. “We mean that.”

“Goodnight, Yeosang.”

_ “Yeah. Night.” _

The call disconnects, and Yunho checks the time. The call lasted over an hour. It’s nearly four in the morning.

“Lie down, pillow,” Hongjoong commands, pushing at Yunho’s shoulder until his back is flat against the mattress. Hongjoong curls up in the space between Yunho’s arm and his side, head resting on Yunho’s chest.

“Do you think he’ll call?” Yunho asks as Hongjoong’s fingers walk up his ribs.

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“I don’t know either. I hope he does.”

“Mmm, me too.”

Yunho’s eyelids are getting heavy, and Hongjoong’s fingers have found their way into his hair, relaxing him even further. Just as he feels himself starting to fall into dreamland, Hongjoong’s phone buzzes on the bedside table. Hongjoong reaches over to check the message.

“Who is it?”

“Yeosang.”

“What does it say?”

It feels like it takes a long time for Hongjoong to answer, but maybe that’s just because Yunho is so sleepy.

“It says he’ll call when he’s ready. Night, sweetie.”

  
<<Yeosang>>   
I know who you are   
I won’t tell Yunho but   
You should contact your parents   
Don’t let them go to their grave wondering   
I’ll call Yunho when I’m ready   
Someone should be there for him   
When you disappear again


End file.
